“Eyes On You”
Chapter one: Prologue
“…and then Twilight was all like “Bring it on!” and three of the wolves jumped at her! But she rolled out of the way, lifted her horn and 'whoosh!', a massive wave of fire washed over ‘em and sent ‘em all runnin’ scared! The other two tried to catch her off guard, but Twilight was too quick for ‘em! She kicked one of ‘em in the nose so hard that it flew back half way across the clearing! Then she lifted the other one, threw it into the air and…”
Twilight sighed. It seemed that every time Rainbow Dash told the story it had more magic, more wolves, and significantly more violence. To be honest, she had heard Rainbow’s ‘adaptations’ so many times that she was starting to lose perspective on what had really happened. However, she was fairly sure that she had never said “Bring it on!”
Still, the school kids seemed to be enjoying themselves, and even Cheerilee was giggling at some of Rainbow’s ridiculous imitations. When the knock came at the schoolhouse door, nopony but Twilight seemed to notice, so she slipped silently away and answered it.
“Oh, hi Applejack. What’re you doing here?”
“Sorry to bother ya on visitin’ day Twilight, but the Doc sent me. It’s about our injured mare.”
Twilight stepped outside and closed the door. “Is it… bad news?” she asked hesitantly.
“No, it ain’t that. I was just passin’ the Doc in town and she asked if I knew where to find ya. ‘Parently she wants ya to head on down to the hospital tent and give ‘er a hoof with our patient.”
“Hmm… I wonder why she’d need my help?” said Twilight, half to herself.
“Don’t rightly know,” Applejack shrugged. “But she did say ya should head there right quick, so I guess it mus’ be somethin’ important.”
“Okay, I’ll head there right away then. Thanks Applejack.”
“Don’t mention it, sugarcube.”
As the orange pony trotted off towards Sweet Apple Acres, Twilight opened the schoolhouse door and poked her head back inside. “Cheerilee? I’m really sorry but I have to leave early, do you mind?”
“Not at all Twilight,” said the teacher pony with a smile. “Rainbow Dash seems to have things in hoof for the minute. I’ll see you next Friday.”
Twilight turned to tell Rainbow Dash, but the pegasus was far too busy basking in the attention of her captivated audience to notice. The purple unicorn chuckled quietly and closed the door behind her.
The sweet smell of trees and grass filled her nostrils as she set off down the path into town. Celestia’s sun glistened beautifully in the cloudless sky and cast a slender shadow at Twilight’s feet. Normally it would have been a perfect day.
Normally…
But to be honest, she hadn’t gotten much sleep over the past two nights. The gorgeous day, which she would usually have enjoyed gladly, just seemed to wash over her, unnoticed. Still, she promised herself that tonight she would sleep like a baby, with no interruptions or distractions.
Though she supposed that would depend on what ‘the Doc’ needed her help with. Twilight didn’t often get called to the medical tent and when she did it was rarely to receive good news. In fact, the last time she had been called there was when Applejack had poisoned half the town with toxic muffins…
“Twilight, there you are!”
The voice snapped Twilight away from her thoughts. The hospital tent of Ponyville Urgent Care was in sight and Nurse Redheart, wearing her white hat with the red cross, was waving in Twilight’s direction.
“How is she?” inquired Twilight, glancing towards the tent as she spoke. The Nurse’s face suddenly became thoughtful, almost as if she wasn’t sure how to answer the question.
“Well, I--” She was abruptly interrupted by a yell from inside the tent.
“Where have you gone?! Who is that you’re talking to? The Great and Powerful Trixie demands that you answer her!”
Twilight recognized the voice – she wasn’t quite sure whether to smile in relief or shudder in foreboding. The last time she had spoken to Trixie was five weeks ago… or maybe six… and they hadn’t exactly parted on the best of terms.
The Nurse cleared her throat. “I’ve stabilised her wounds and she is on the road to recovery. However…” She shot a look towards the tent. “She’s been rather… vocal.”
Twilight nodded. “Yeah, that’s Trixie for you.”
“Actually, you’re the one she’s been demanding to see. That’s why I sent for you.”
“Me?” Twilight wondered aloud. “What would she want to see me for?”
“Hmm? Aren’t you two friends?”
Twilight scoffed. “Ha ha, no – the two of us don’t exactly see eye to eye.”
“Oh…” Nurse Redheart frowned. “I just assumed since you were the one who brought her in. And you’re the only one who’s come to visit her since then.”
“Really, the only one?” said Twilight evasively. “Well, I suppose I was just concerned. I mean it’s not every day that a pony gets attacked by wolves, is it?”
The Nurse nodded understandingly. “And thank goodness for that. Listen... do you think you could do me a favour and talk to her? Of course, if you’d rather not I’ll understand--”
“No, no, I can do it,” said Twilight, raising a hoof and shaking her head. She pushed her way under the blue folds of fabric and stepped in to the tent. The choking stench of antiseptic greeted her nose, prompting an involuntary gag.
“Well it’s about time you got back! The Great and Powerful Tri--”
Trixie went eerily silent as her eyes fell upon Twilight’s face. Her mouth just seemed to go limp mid-sentence and her gaze became unfocused and vacant. Twilight might have found it quite amusing if she hadn’t thought that Trixie was having some kind of seizure.
“A…Are you okay, Trixie?” she asked worriedly.
Trixie’s left eye twitched in response. Just as Twilight was opening her mouth to call the Nurse, the azure pony’s face snapped back into focus. Twilight waited for a moment, expecting Trixie to say something, but she simply pursed her lips, turned around and laid down on her thin medical bed.
‘I knew it!’ thought Twilight to herself. Trixie was obviously still upset with her about the whole ‘Ursa Minor incident’, though Twilight was convinced that there was no good reason she should be. After all, Twilight had only acted to protect Ponyville, it wasn’t as if she was trying to show Trixie up.
Twilight sighed. Trixie probably wouldn’t even believe that if she told it to her a hundred times. So she decided to forget it and let her curiosity do the talking for a while.
“So, um… Nurse Redheart said you asked for me?”
Trixie grunted. “Hmph! The Great and Powerful Trixie asked for the pony who brought her here. She didn't know that it was you!”
Her tone was egotistical, scornful and unkind all at the same time, but Twilight tried not to take offence – Trixie talked like that to everypony.
“Well, now you do,” said Twilight strongly. “So what did you want?”
Trixie thought for a moment before giving her answer. “…You will explain to the Great and Powerful Trixie how she came to be… here!”
“Fair enough,” said Twilight, trotting over and sitting firmly on the grass next to Trixie. The sooner she got this done, the sooner she could get back to her nice, calm, Trixie-free day.
Unlike Rainbow Dash, Twilight wasn’t one for ‘enhancing’ aspects of a story to make it more exciting. As such, she just recounted it as accurately as she could – how she had heard Trixie’s cry for help in the woods and rushed to her aid, how she had fought off the gang of wolves that were standing over Trixie’s unconscious body and how she had carried Trixie, atop her back, to this very tent in Ponyville.
“…And you’ve been unconscious for about a day and a half since then,” concluded Twilight. She went back over it in her head to make sure that she hadn’t missed anything, then nodded to no-one in particular.
“You… fought wolves…” muttered Trixie, so quietly that she was probably talking to herself. “…for me…”
“You’re welcome, but I would have done it for anypony,” said Twilight dismissively. It was an honest statement – Twilight would gladly put her life on the line for any fellow pony, even one as arrogant and unpleasant as Trixie.
“The Great and Powerful Trixie was not expressing gratitude!” shouted Trixie defensively. “She did not ask for your help, Twilight Sparkle, nor did she need it!”
One glance at Trixie’s clawed cutie mark and her cast-wrapped foreleg would be enough to tell anyone different. An angry heat welled up inside of Twilight so quickly that she didn’t even have enough time to suppress her raised voice.
“As a matter of fact, I distinctly remember you screaming ‘Help!’ so loudly that I could hear it across half the forest!”
Trixie sat bolt upright and glared at Twilight. Twilight glared right back, just daring Trixie to lose her temper, which was probably not the wisest course of action. But oddly enough, Trixie backed down… She huffed loudly, as if to say ‘Why bother?’, then turned around and laid back down on her bed.
As the drawn out minutes of silence dragged on, the air of tension began to dissipate. Twilight’s temper slowly subsided and she wondered what had come over her. What was she doing? This wasn’t like her at all… She was supposed to be here to calm Trixie down and here she was shouting at her! She never got that angry towards anypony… ever! Trixie was annoying, but not that annoying.
“I’m… sorry Trixie,” muttered Twilight. “I didn’t mean to shout. I guess I’ve just been worr--”
“It’s fine,” Trixie interrupted. Twilight threw a questioning glance at the back of her silver-maned head.
“It is?” asked Twilight, not sure that she had heard Trixie properly. The azure pony nodded visibly in confirmation.
“Oh, well… that’s good…” The purple unicorn hid her surprise poorly. Trixie backing down from a challenge and accepting an apology? Maybe there was hope for her yet. Or maybe her wounds had just taken a lot out of her and she would be back to normal tomorrow.
“So, um…” Twilight wasn’t quite sure what to say from here. “Was there… that is, did you want to… talk about anything else? You know, while I’m here?”
“No, that will be all,” said the blue mare quietly. “Trixie will let the Nurse know if there is anything else…”
“Um… all right then. See you around I guess.” Trixie didn’t offer a farewell – she seemed to be focusing on the empty bed across from her. Twilight got to her hooves and made her way outside, still a little uncertain about how to feel.
“How did it go?” asked the Nurse hesitantly.
Twilight considered her answer carefully. “…She seems… calm now, I don’t think she has any more questions…” That was almost true – it was obvious even to Twilight that there was something else Trixie had been meaning to say. As to what it was though, that was anyone’s guess.
“Hmm…” A sudden thoughtfulness spread across Nurse Redheart’s face. “Twilight, I wonder… would you come over here for a minute?” Twilight gave a curious look as she followed the Nurse to a spot several paces away from the tent.
“What’s the matter?” asked Twilight.
“Well…”
When the Nurse had finished explaining, Twilight found herself at something of a loss. “Um… wait, let me see if I have this right… You want me to let her live with me?”
The Nurse frowned and nodded. “I know it’s a lot to ask, Twilight Sparkle, but Trixie’s recovery will be a long one. Frankly, it could be months, and I know from experience that…”
Her mouth kept moving, but Twilight wasn’t paying attention – she was absorbed in her thoughts. Live with Trixie? That was the worst idea she had ever heard! Take care of her night and day? She didn’t have time for that! Spend the rest of Celestia-knows how long with her? That was simply preposter--
“Sure, I’d love to!”
* * *
‘Why, why, WHY did I say that?’ Twilight hit herself in the face with the book she was levitating in the hopes that it would wake her up from some eerily lucid dream. It didn’t work…
“Y’know Twilight, you’re gonna hurt your head if you keep doing that!”
Twilight shot a glance up at the concerned-looking, pink-maned party pony. She had a point… besides, why would the book work the third time when it hadn’t the first or second? Maybe she needed something harder…
Luckily for Twilight, Pinkie saw her eyes fall on the dusty metal footlocker and decided to confiscate it before the purple unicorn did anything drastic. Twilight sighed.
A leaning tower of books with small, purple legs hobbled into view. Spike huffed as he plonked them down next to the door with the rest. “Why are we doing this again?”
“I told you Spike – somepony is coming to stay with us for a while. We need to clear a room for her.”
“Yeah, but you still haven’t told me who it is!” The dragon’s eyes suddenly began to glisten like emeralds. “Is it… Rarity?!”
“Sorry, but no.”
“Oh…” Spike frowned sadly. “Then who? Rainbow Dash?”
“No.”
“Applejack?”
“No!”
“Me?!” exclaimed Pinkie, her huge, excited eyes threatening to swallow Twilight whole.
“No, no, no!” said Twilight loudly, shaking her head from side to side. “It’s Trixie!”
There was silence. They both gawped at Twilight in shock. “W… What was that, Twilight?” muttered Spike timidly, his green eyes unblinking.
“Trixie,” she repeated. “She’s… coming to stay with us for a while.”
The two others gawped again. Pinkie reached out slowly and pinched Spike’s arm. “Ow!” he yelled, knocked out of his daze. “What was that for?!”
“You were hoping you were asleep!” Pinkie smiled. “I was trying to wake you up!”
Twilight considered asking Pinkie to pinch her too, but if it hadn’t worked on Spike then there wasn’t much hope for her… The baby dragon, still rubbing his arm, turned to Twilight.
“You’re serious, aren’t you? W… Why? Why would Trixie be coming to stay with us?!”
The honest answer was ‘Because my stupid mouth suddenly decided that it’s allowed to break the chain of command!’, but she didn’t want to make it sound like the situation had arisen because of a simple slip of the tongue… which, in reality, it had…
Instead, she went for a more empathetic answer. “Trixie is in a bad way, Spike. She needs a warm place to stay and…and a friend to help her out--”
“Friend?!” repeated Spike. “When did you two become friends?”
“We’re not! I don’t even like her!” Twilight could sense her face becoming flushed. She turned to Pinkie for help. The party pony nodded understandingly, placed her half-eaten cupcake on the floor and trotted over to Spike.
“Spike, old buddy!” she said cheerfully, throwing her foreleg around his shoulders. “Step this way and I’ll explain everything in a snap!” She ferried him over to the corner of the room and began talking excitedly. “Once upon a time there was a pony – a pink pony called Princess Pinkamena…”
Twilight sighed in relief. She magically grasped a hoof-held mirror and made it hover in front of her. A weary, purple unicorn stared back at her with a red blush slowly fading from her cheeks. Twilight frowned thoughtfully at the unicorn. She didn’t ‘not like’ Trixie, it was just that she could be a bit difficult to get along with sometimes… or more like all the time.
Now that Twilight thought about it, they hadn’t exactly spent much time together since they met. Maybe an hour at most. That wasn’t enough time to judge somepony and Twilight knew it. Maybe Trixie did deserve a chance. Twilight chuckled quietly, it would have been useful to have known that a moment ago.
“…and there you have it!” finished Pinkie loudly. “So, you understand now, right?”
Spike looked part stunned, part angry and part hopelessly confused. “Pinkie Pie… you just recited a recipe for making chocolate fudge cake… how the hay is that supposed to help?!”
“Spike!” the two ponies exclaimed in a scolding tone. The baby dragon went red.
“Sorry for the language…” he said quietly. “But I just don’t get it! You didn’t say anything about why Trixie has to stay here!”
“Ugh.” Pinkie rolled her eyes as if Spike was being dense. “It’s a metaphor, duh – The fudge represents the meaning of friendship and sticking by your fellow ponies! The two bowls of frosting tell us how important it is to be kind and share with others! And the forty-two minutes in the oven… hmm, well I’m not quite sure what that’s about, I guess it’s the perfect amount of time to get the cake nice and crunchy on the outside but keep it soft and sticky in the middle! Mmm.”
Twilight and Spike glanced bemusedly at each other as drool started to leak from Pinkie’s open mouth. “…All right, fine. I guess you must be too young for that one. But I have loads more…Oh, I know! There once was a mare from Manehattan…”
“Wait,” interjected Twilight, to Spike’s relief. “Thanks Pinkie, but I think I can manage it now.” Pinkie shrugged and happily went back to tidying the room whilst humming an upbeat tune and munching on her cupcake… which now seemed to have regenerated most of its mass… No, it must have been a new one, but where was she getting them?
Twilight shook it from her mind and turned to Spike. “Look Spike, I know you don’t like Trixie, but think about it – what do you really know about her?”
“That she’s an in-surfable braggart!” Twilight raised an eyebrow at this. “What?” shrugged Spike. “That’s what Rarity calls her…”
“I think you mean ‘insufferable’,” chuckled Twilight. “And yeah, she might seem like that at first glance, but neither of us have actually gotten to know her. When we first got to Ponyville, I thought everypony here was crazy! But look how wrong I was about them…” Here she threw a nervous glance at Pinkie Pie, who was now shadowboxing with a determined look on her face.
“Maybe you’re right, Twilight,” Spike said thoughtfully. “But how come we’re the ones who have to take her in?”
“Because we have a spare room and I’ve already volunteered us! So there’s nothing we can do about it. For the next few months we’ll just have to be open-minded and understanding.”
Spike let out a conceding sigh. “Okay Twilight…”
“I’m sure she’ll warm up to us eventually, Spike,” she said reassuringly. “It’s just going to take some time.”
“I guess so…” He went back to clearing out the bookshelves in silence. Twilight felt a little bad to see him like that. Resolving to buy him a couple of rubies later to cheer him up, Twilight went back to cleaning.
Between the three of them, they gradually moved everything down to the basement, besides the books of course, which Twilight managed to fit into the main library. The room was relatively small compared to Twilight and Spike’s, and it looked rather empty without the bookshelves and study desks.
So, under Twilight’s instruction, the three of them set about ‘fixing the place up’…
While Pinkie and Spike went down to the basement to find some proper furniture, Twilight used her magic to clear the leaves outside the round window. She had actually never looked out of this window before. Beyond it was a beautiful, west-facing view of the town below, filled with various ponies going about their late afternoon business.
Spike and Pinkie returned with a wooden stool, an old empty dresser and what Spike called a ‘bedside table’, which was actually just a big tree stump. Mid-way through arranging the furniture, Pinkie gasped and dashed out of the room, returning five minutes later with a comfortable looking, one-pony bed.
“Pinkie, where did you get that?” asked Twilight. “And… how did you get it up the stairs?”
“It’s my old one! I got a new one last week which is all pink and bouncy and fun! We were gonna give this one away anyway so I thought you might as well use it!”
Twilight took note that Pinkie hadn’t answered her second question, but the unicorn had a distinct feeling that any answer she did give would probably just create more confusion. They set about arranging the last of the furniture, then laid back on the red-sheeted bed and admired their work.
“Hey, it’s not half bad!” said Spike proudly. “But the walls do look a little blank…”
“Yeah, maybe we could put up a painting or something?” Twilight wondered aloud.
“How ‘bout some streamers? They’re always fun!” Pinkie blew cheerfully on the party horn in her mouth. The other two looked at her quizzically, but knew better than to ask where she had gotten it. Instead, Twilight chuckled and looked up at the ceiling.
“I’m not sure streamers are the way to go, since she’s trying to rest up and all. What about--”
She broke off as a fleck of sunlight graced her eyelid and forced it shut. Twilight felt too comfortable to turn around, so she simply let her head roll backwards over the other side of the bed.
“Oh, it’s nearly sundown!” exclaimed upside-down Twilight, looking out of the window. She hastily hopped to her feet, followed quickly by a startled Spike and an excited Pinkie Pie.
“I have to go and pick up Trixie now, guys. Thanks so much for all your help!”
“Okie dokie lokie!” Pinkie saluted playfully. “Just don’t forget to help me clean up after my party next week!”
“I’m looking forward to it.” Twilight smiled back at her.
“Great, see you then! See ya later, Spike-o!” With that, Pinkie hopped merrily out of the room.
“Spike-o?” repeated the baby dragon.
Twilight chuckled and shrugged. “Just a Pinkie thing I guess. Anyway, thanks again Spike, couldn’t have done it without you.” She leaned forward and laid a kind kiss upon the baby dragon’s forehead. Naturally, he recoiled and started rubbing the spot with his elbow.
“Ugh, Twilight!”
Twilight chuckled as the two of them made their way down the stairs. “Sorry, Spike,” she said with a smile – though she wasn’t really sorry.
After waving goodbye to Spike, she left the library. Barely three seconds had passed before she burst back in, up the stairs and into the new bedroom. She focused her magic on the bed, compulsively straightening the untidy, crumpled sheets and tucking them in at the sides.
‘Ah, much better’ she thought to herself.
* * *
Dusk was looming just beyond the horizon when Twilight at last reached the medical tent. She had only seen a hoof-full of other ponies on her way here and assumed that most of them were already back home for the evening.
“Oh, Twilight. You’re back,” said the cheerful-looking Nurse. She laid her clipboard on the ground and trotted over to the purple unicorn. “Have you come to collect her?”
Twilight simply smiled and nodded. She wanted to keep her mouth closed to avoid any more ‘slip ups’. Nurse Redheart patted her on the shoulder.
“It’s really considerate of you to do this for her, Twilight. I’m sure she’ll appreciate it…” Twilight’s raised eyebrows said that she thought that was highly doubtful. “…well, in time perhaps!” the Nurse added uncertainly. “Now wait right here, I’ll just go and fetch her.”
The Nurse pushed her way under the folds of fabric and into the tent. Muffled sounds came from inside, and Twilight couldn’t help but feel a bit curious. She pressed her ear to the ‘wall’ of the tent and tried to make out the voices.
“…yes, she’s here now, are you ready?”
“…The Great and Powerful Trixie does not want to go with Twilight Sparkle! She would rather stay here in the cold!”
“Now, don’t be silly. Twilight is a very nice pony and she’s going to take good care of you--”
“The Great and Powerful… OW!” A gust of wind blew past Twilight’s ear and stifled Trixie’s next few words, but by the tone of her voice, Twilight imagined that they were not pleasant ones. “…what was that?!”
“Just something for the pain. You’ll need it if you’re going to walk across town.”
“The Great and Powerful Trixie does not need your medication! She is not going anywhere! Besides, she can tolerate such minor pain with ease… OW!”
“I wouldn’t try to move that foreleg if I were you. Here, let me help you up.”
“I don’t need your h…help…”
“That wasn’t an offer…”
“Take your h…hooves off of Trixie… She can… she can take… care of herself.” Trixie’s voice was becoming slow and lazy, as if she were falling asleep.
A moment later Nurse Redheart emerged from the tent and held the flap open for Trixie. Twilight wasn’t sure what to think as she saw the azure pony stumble clumsily out into the evening air, her left foreleg still held to her chest by a woollen cast.
Her eyes were droopy, she was swaying from side to side… she reminded Twilight very much of a certain orange pony during Applebuck season. When she caught sight of Twilight, her mouth twisted sluggishly into a goofy grin.
“Oh… Helloooo Twi—light Sparkle!” she slurred with a cheerful chuckle. “Did you know… you’re all… purple? Ugh…” With that last hazy remark, Trixie toppled over forwards and struck the ground face first, snoring heavily.
Twilight looked up at the Nurse in shock, but to her surprise, the white pony was giggling. “Ha, ha! Don’t worry Twilight, that’s just the sedatives kicking in. I thought this way it would be easier to get her to ‘co-operate’. She’ll come to in about twelve hours… but when she does, just remind her to… take it easy for a while…” The Nurse was still snickering quietly.
“Um, isn’t that a little… unethical?” said Twilight worriedly, forgetting her ‘mouth-closed-no-slip-ups’ idea.
“Ha, ha!” laughed the Nurse again. “I know what I’m doing Twilight. She’ll thank me after a good night’s sleep, and so will you I expect.” The Nurse had obviously noticed the bags under Twilight’s eyes. “Now, would you like a hoof in getting her home?”
“That’s alright, I’ve got her.” Twilight aimed her horn at the comically floppy azure pony and magically lifted her into the air. Trixie snorted and giggled faintly as she rose, whilst drool began to appear at her mouth.
The purple unicorn couldn’t help but smile. She did look kind of cute. ‘Whoops!’ Twilight caught Trixie just before she hit the ground and threw a nervous glance back at Nurse Redheart, hoping she hadn’t just seen that. The white pony simply gave her a knowing smile and said “Good night, Twilight.”
As she trotted off towards the library, Twilight kept Trixie suspended a short distance ahead of her. A warm, orange luminescence flooded over the town as Celestia’s sun began to sink beyond the western horizon. Twilight was far too tired to enjoy it as much as she would have liked, but she did smile at the glow it gave to herself, Trixie and the single, stray butterfly that fluttered past.
Bonk!
“Oh s--tupid doorframe!” muttered Twilight. Trixie didn’t wake, she just mumbled something unintelligible as Twilight took a step back and lowered her through the doorway.
Spike was just coming out of the kitchen wearing a dark blue night-robe and carrying a mug of what was presumably hot milk. The second he caught sight of Trixie he burst into uncontrollable laughter, spraying a mouthful of liquid half way across the room.
“…ah, ha, ha! You… you put a sleeping spell on her? Ha, ha! Great thinking Twilight!”
“I didn’t do this!” said Twilight defensively. “Nurse Redheart sedated her!”
Spike snickered again. “Well then she’s a genius!” Twilight rolled her eyes as the baby dragon continued to chortle to himself. It wasn’t that funny.
“Come on, time for bed.” Twilight lead the way, careful to keep the hovering Trixie away from the floor, walls and ceiling, which was even more difficult than it sounded. It took a fair bit longer than usual, but she made it to the small landing half way between the top and bottom floors. There on the left was the entrance to what would now be Trixie’s bedroom.
“Go on up, Spike,” Twilight called back as she carried Trixie through the doorway. “I’ll be there in a minute.” The baby dragon nodded and complied whilst Twilight made her way over to Trixie’s bed.
Carefully, she pulled back the sheets and lowered the sleeping unicorn’s head softly onto the pillow. Trixie frowned and muttered as Twilight released her spell. The purple unicorn magically pulled the duvet up to Trixie’s chin and tucked in the sides, after which the frown under her nose shifted into a slight smile.
Twilight took a step back and stared for a moment. There was something about Trixie’s face right then that gave her pause. She looked utterly serene – like she didn’t have a care in the world, like her injuries weren’t even there – just completely ‘at peace’. That expression was both endearing and inspiring, and Twilight genuinely considered simply staying to watch it for a while.
Then she smiled and shook her head dismissively. Her last thought before she trotted out of the room was ‘I’d probably look the same if I’d just been sedated with a horse tranquilizer…’
* * *